Can you reccomend me some strings?

[43apples]

Hi!

I just got my first uprigth, and i love it.

But, the strings feel....wierd. They are very tense, hard and they sound most of all like a fretless bassguitar with steel flatwounds. They seem to be chromed, with a steel? core.

Anyway- i played with a guy who also had an uprigth. His strings seemed to be gut core with RED silk or wool windings! And what tone! A loose, mwah'y, growly, funky....ultra-uprigthy sound. I played his bass, and the strings had a great, really low tension.

Do anyone know what strings i'm talking about?

Thanks,
-Erlend

[davegr8house]

Hello Erlend,
Congrats on your new Bass. At the top of each Forum you will find a Newbie section for those such as yourself new to Double Bass. They are filled with a wealth of information and will answer most of your questions. As for the Strings. If you got yourself a New Bass first thing is it set-up? Again refer to the Newbie section as to what all is involved. The Strings you spoke of having Red windings are most likely Spirocores. Check out the String Newbie section and you`ll find a BUNCH information on Strings. Have fun and keep practicing...

Dave

[greitzer]

Hi Erland. I've only been playing upright bass for a year and a half, so I'm not too far removed from where you are right now. I think the choice of which strings, depends in large part on the kind of playing you're going to do. Will you be using a bow? Or just pizzicato? Or some of both? Here are my thoughts on the three types of strings I have become familiar with. Others here have lots more experience and will know a lot more about these and other strings.

Pirastro "Flat Chromesteel" strings -- these are all metal strings. They are a bit hard on the fingers, but not too hard. They have a good sound (at least on my bass) for jazz pizzicato, with a pretty long sustain after you pluck the note (which I wanted), and they also sound strong and clear when played with the bow. I play about equal amounts of bowing and pizzicato, so these are a good string for me.

Thomastik "Spirocore" strings -- these are very popular with lots of players, especially jazz players. My teacher uses them, and has for years. When played pizzicato they have a long sustain and a strong clear sound. For bowing they also sound good. Both these strings and the Pirastro Flat Chromesteels seem to require pretty heavy bow pressure to get a clean bow sound, but this gets easier as one's technique gets better. Of course my teacher makes them sound beautiful and makes it look easy.

Helicore "Arco" or "Orchestra" strings -- these have a deep, bassy sound when played with the bow, I think a fuller sound than the Pirastro Flat Chromesteels. But I didn't like them at all for pizzicato. They have very little sustain (since they weren't designed for this purpose), and have a somewhat vague unfocused sound.

That's the sum total of my string experience so far. But keep in mind, these strings may sound different on your bass than they sound on mine. Others here will have lots more good information for you. Good luck.

[MerryPrankster]

I think i know what your talking about!...Try Velvet Garbos....They have polyamide on the g and d , and roundwire on e and a... theyre inexpensive for gut!Check them out at Http://www.lemurmusic.com